Former player H. Rucci who played under Chryst, Jimmy and Fickell did a Q/A in his hometown paper about all this. Telling
Q: Do you feel like Jim Leonhard could have been a successful head coach at Wisconsin?
A: As much as I loved him as a person and coach, Wisconsin really did need a change. Jimmy would've continued on the same path as Chryst, for better or for worse. It just so happened that we struck out with the replacement we got. Whether it be bad luck or bad coaching or both.
Q: Does the same path mean like ideologies with recruitment, philosophy, NIL and things like that?
A: Yes, yes, yes, and yes. It would've just been Chryst 2.0. And in that case, we wouldn't have had as good of a DC if Leonard was HC. Again, it's hard to say that more of the same would've been a bad thing, seeing how the last 3 years have gone. I would love to have another "down" season like 2022. But we needed a change, and it just so happened that the experiment hadn't worked out how everyone thought it would.
Q: Do you think the firing of Chryst was hasty? What was the lockers reaction to that?
Which was your favorite of the three? Why?
A:
I think Chryst getting fired was definitely hasty, but it was a change that was probably going to happen eventually no matter what. Guys were definitely shocked that they chose that Sunday to tell us, especially given how well liked he was by the players he was and how successful he had been in very recent history. I do not think anyone would have predicted that 2021, the year before he was fired, would end up being our best season of the past five years.
As for my favorite coach, they all had their own strengths. As a person, it was Chryst without question. He was like a friend’s dad, someone you could talk to about anything and just shoot the shit. As a coach, probably year one Fickell. His pregame speeches still give me chills when I think about them. Jimmy was a great mix of both, especially once the initial shock of Chryst getting fired wore off and guys started rallying around him. The wins we had with Jimmy were special. That said, for anyone who was being honest with themselves, you could see where the program was heading under him. Not that he could not be a good head coach someday, it just felt like the program would have taken more of a sideways step with him in 2022 and beyond.
Q: In your opinion (and experience), what about the Fickell regime is not working and why? We get anecdotal and apocryphal stories about what goes on behind closed doors, so it would be good to hear first hand what it’s been like and why what appeared to be a slam dunk hire has turned into such a disaster.
A: IMO, it's a combination of buy in, trust, and timing. He is very process driven and focused on the current roster, which can create some distance at a place like Wisconsin where relationships and culture matter a lot. When injuries and fatigue started showing up, frustrations with things like strength training, practice structure, and meals grew. I do not think he is a bad coach or that EVERYTHING has been a disaster, but the lack of built-in goodwill compared to Chryst or Leonhard, combined with bad injury luck and a major transition all happening at once, made a "slam dunk" hire look much worse than it probably should have.
Q: How did you feel about the state of the program under Fickell?
A:
I think the initial hire was a great one. Since then, it has been a mix of bad luck and bad coaching. There definitely needs to be a change, because if players do not trust the coaching staff, nothing good will happen. I do not think that change necessarily needs to be at the head coach level right now, but rather in areas like strength training, practice schedule, meals, etc.
It does sound like they are switching things up this offseason, which is encouraging. When you factor in everything (available coaches, buyouts, and overall fit) I still think Fickell is the best guy for this season. Ask me again next year, and I will probably have a better answer.
Q: You mentioned problems regarding things like strength training, practice schedule, meals, etc. Can you elaborate on what those issues are (or, how these issues are perceived by players)?
A: I'm not sure how familiar you are with the way Fickell's strength program was, but he had these things called "Mat Drills". It was the same thing that Urban Meyer did at Florida and brought to OSU. LF took them to Cincy, then to Wisconsin. It was designed to build toughness with 1on1 tug of war match ups, sled pushes, etc. But more people got hurt from them than had "improved toughness". These would happen on Wednesdays during the offseason, when with Chryst, Wednesdays were for stretching, mobility, and 7-on-7.
The practice schedule was long and numerous guys were complaining that it was too much towards the end of the season. Normally, practices get shorter as guys get more dinged up and there's less to install, in October and November, but that did not happen as soon or as much as it should.
As for meals, the options are poor. Chicken is undercooked, steak is grey, and vegetables are coated in oil... not only were they unhealthy, but they also didn't taste good at all.
The rest was dribble.... interesting though
Q: Do you feel like Jim Leonhard could have been a successful head coach at Wisconsin?
A: As much as I loved him as a person and coach, Wisconsin really did need a change. Jimmy would've continued on the same path as Chryst, for better or for worse. It just so happened that we struck out with the replacement we got. Whether it be bad luck or bad coaching or both.
Q: Does the same path mean like ideologies with recruitment, philosophy, NIL and things like that?
A: Yes, yes, yes, and yes. It would've just been Chryst 2.0. And in that case, we wouldn't have had as good of a DC if Leonard was HC. Again, it's hard to say that more of the same would've been a bad thing, seeing how the last 3 years have gone. I would love to have another "down" season like 2022. But we needed a change, and it just so happened that the experiment hadn't worked out how everyone thought it would.
Q: Do you think the firing of Chryst was hasty? What was the lockers reaction to that?
Which was your favorite of the three? Why?
A:
I think Chryst getting fired was definitely hasty, but it was a change that was probably going to happen eventually no matter what. Guys were definitely shocked that they chose that Sunday to tell us, especially given how well liked he was by the players he was and how successful he had been in very recent history. I do not think anyone would have predicted that 2021, the year before he was fired, would end up being our best season of the past five years.
As for my favorite coach, they all had their own strengths. As a person, it was Chryst without question. He was like a friend’s dad, someone you could talk to about anything and just shoot the shit. As a coach, probably year one Fickell. His pregame speeches still give me chills when I think about them. Jimmy was a great mix of both, especially once the initial shock of Chryst getting fired wore off and guys started rallying around him. The wins we had with Jimmy were special. That said, for anyone who was being honest with themselves, you could see where the program was heading under him. Not that he could not be a good head coach someday, it just felt like the program would have taken more of a sideways step with him in 2022 and beyond.
Q: In your opinion (and experience), what about the Fickell regime is not working and why? We get anecdotal and apocryphal stories about what goes on behind closed doors, so it would be good to hear first hand what it’s been like and why what appeared to be a slam dunk hire has turned into such a disaster.
A: IMO, it's a combination of buy in, trust, and timing. He is very process driven and focused on the current roster, which can create some distance at a place like Wisconsin where relationships and culture matter a lot. When injuries and fatigue started showing up, frustrations with things like strength training, practice structure, and meals grew. I do not think he is a bad coach or that EVERYTHING has been a disaster, but the lack of built-in goodwill compared to Chryst or Leonhard, combined with bad injury luck and a major transition all happening at once, made a "slam dunk" hire look much worse than it probably should have.
Q: How did you feel about the state of the program under Fickell?
A:
I think the initial hire was a great one. Since then, it has been a mix of bad luck and bad coaching. There definitely needs to be a change, because if players do not trust the coaching staff, nothing good will happen. I do not think that change necessarily needs to be at the head coach level right now, but rather in areas like strength training, practice schedule, meals, etc.
It does sound like they are switching things up this offseason, which is encouraging. When you factor in everything (available coaches, buyouts, and overall fit) I still think Fickell is the best guy for this season. Ask me again next year, and I will probably have a better answer.
Q: You mentioned problems regarding things like strength training, practice schedule, meals, etc. Can you elaborate on what those issues are (or, how these issues are perceived by players)?
A: I'm not sure how familiar you are with the way Fickell's strength program was, but he had these things called "Mat Drills". It was the same thing that Urban Meyer did at Florida and brought to OSU. LF took them to Cincy, then to Wisconsin. It was designed to build toughness with 1on1 tug of war match ups, sled pushes, etc. But more people got hurt from them than had "improved toughness". These would happen on Wednesdays during the offseason, when with Chryst, Wednesdays were for stretching, mobility, and 7-on-7.
The practice schedule was long and numerous guys were complaining that it was too much towards the end of the season. Normally, practices get shorter as guys get more dinged up and there's less to install, in October and November, but that did not happen as soon or as much as it should.
As for meals, the options are poor. Chicken is undercooked, steak is grey, and vegetables are coated in oil... not only were they unhealthy, but they also didn't taste good at all.
The rest was dribble.... interesting though
